US threatens countries cooperating with Iran

IRNA – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo once again made anti-Iran comments on Monday morning, threatening countries which keep economic relations and cooperation with Tehran.

‘Come November 4th, there will be a different set of rules for anyone who wants to engage in economic activity with regime in Iran,’ Pompeo wrote in a tweet.

He also claimed ‘many countries’ have already left the Iranian market.

However, the US’s sustained efforts and intensive consultations to cut Iran oil exports and to increase economic pressures on it over the past months have all been proved futile.

China and Russia have repeatedly announced their commitment to the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Britain, Germany, French and the European Union are also united on keeping the 2015 international accord.

‘We are determined to protect European economic operators engaged in legitimate business with Iran, in accordance with EU law and with UN Security Council Resolution 2231,’ EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini said.

Longtime Iran trade partners, including Indonesia, have also offered to continue business with Iran using national currencies instead of dollar.

Indonesian Ambassador to Iran Octavino Alimudin in an interview with the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said that the Southeast Asian nation has “initiated direct trade with Tehran using rupiah and rial.”

During recent days, Pompeo has repeatedly taken a tough stand against Iran.

In another twitter on Saturday, he lashed out at former US Secretary of State, John Kerry for his private meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, calling the meeting ‘inconsistent with US foreign policy’.

Over the past months, the US has called for negotiations with Iran, but Iran says it will not sit at negotiating table due to what it calls US’s breach of promises, referring especially to withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal.

Early in May, US president Donald Trump announced Washington would pull out of the deal and reinstate sanctions against Iran.